In the Shadows
by thepreciousone
Summary: The VenturiMacDonald house has always been a war zone between Derek and Casey. What happens when all their negetive energy brings unwanted visitors into their house? Will they put aside their differences to help cleanse the house? First LWD fanfic. DASEY
1. Prologue

**This is my first LwD fanfiction story, so feel free to tell me what you think lol. This is just the prologue. The first chapter will be up soon. This is going to be DASEY so, for those of you who don't like that sort of ship, I suggest you not read it . Thanks a bunch and please review!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life wtih Derek. If I did, I wouldn't be fantasizing of being with Derek. **

PROLOGUE

For some people, ghosts are just a figment of your imagination. They don't believe in them because they can't see them. People think ghosts are hovering white blankets making 'boo' sounds. But the truth is…hovering white blankets and 'boo' sounds are not even close to what people actually hear when they see a ghost.

There have been documents about paranormal activity going on in some homes. They feel a presence but can't see anything. They go into a room that is below zero degrees and say, "There's a presence in this room." What if the room had tile wall? Of course the room would be cold. But what if there was really a presence in the room? No one would really know.

Children are the perfect target for ghosts. Why? Because children can see everything. Poltergeists are the cruelest ones. They torture little children by scaring them, throwing things at them, even hurting them with just their presence. Poltergeists go after children because of their energy. The younger the children are, the more energy the ghosts get to make contact.

But what happens when they go after teenagers?

No adult would ever believe that their teen witnessed paranormal activity. When a teenager sees something that's not supposed to be here anymore, they keep it to themselves instead of sharing it with their parents. Why? Because parents don't want to believe. They say, "You're crazy. It was probably your shadow." It breaks a person's heart when no one believes them. Poltergeists go after teens because they're in the middle. They're kids but also adults, which makes it easy for poltergeists to make contact with them.

People say there's no such thing as ghosts. When they see ghost shows on television, they think it's fake. Some ghost shows are false. They film the ghosts and when they replay it, they see it again. But the truth is…the camera will never capture a ghost. Never.


	2. A Strange Noise

**Okay, here's my first chapter. Hope you guys like it!!!!!!!!!!!!! It might be a bit confusing and probably out of character...but bear with me. Please!!!!!!!!**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Life with Derek, even though I wish I did.**

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**Chapter One: The Strange Noise**

Beep Beep. Beep Beep.

Casey MacDonald opened her eyes automatically and stared up at her alarm clock. 6:04a.m.. A small smile formed on her lips. It was finally Friday, which meant only one more day of taunting, and then she'll be free for two days. She stretched and slipped out of bed.

"I love Fridays," she muttered as she opened her door. Her smile, however, vanished from her lips when she heard a certain door open. "Oh no he doesn't." Taking a deep breath, she took off running down the hall.

Casey reached the bathroom but didn't get a chance to open the door. Someone slammed into her, sending her to the ground with a thud. "Der-rek!" she yelled, rubbing her bum.

Derek smirked down at her. "Good morning to you too, Klutzilla," he taunted. He put his hand over his mouth in mock surprise. "Oh! Were you going to use the bathroom? I'm sorry you're not fast enough to beat me to it." He laughed and stepped into the bathroom, closing the door behind him.

"You're such a jerk, Derek!" yelled Casey as she scrambled to her feet. She rapped on the door. "Whatever happened to 'ladies first'?" When he didn't respond, she kicked the door helplessly.

"I'm trying to take a shower, woman! Now step away from the door and let me have my privacy," came Derek's voice from inside the bathroom.

Casey growled in frustration. She knew that once Derek got into the bathroom, there was no way she was going to make him get out. With one last glare at the door, she turned around and went to straight to her room to change.

"Stupid Derek always hogging the stupid bathroom and now he's stupidly going to take long just so stupid me can be late for school!" muttered Casey as she pulled on her pink top and her jean skirt. Her hands were shaking with anger. This was the fifth time Derek had beat her to the bathroom. It was infuriating for Casey because she knew Derek would always win. But she thought today would be different. She had set her alarm clock an hour early, hoping she'd get the bathroom today. No such luck.

She put her hair up in a messy ponytail (knowing that Derek wasn't going to be out of the bathroom any time soon) and grabbed her make-up purse from her drawer. She hastily put on some eyeliner and mascara. "Stupid Derek," she muttered before standing up and walking out of her room.

Casey walked into the kitchen and headed for the refrigerator. She pulled out some orange juice and poured it into a glass. Edwin and Lizzie weren't there yet so she took a seat on the stool and began to sip on her juice. Her mind drifted off to yesterday in school. Her eyes set and the memory of it just made her hate Derek more than she did, if that was even possible.

Flashback

"Em, what am I going to do now!? I have to present that paper in less than twenty minutes!" cried Casey as she frantically searched her folder for her English paper. They were supposed to give out a presentation of the importance of literature, and Casey, being the 'school girl' that she is, had written fourteen pages of it and now…it was gone.

"_Casey, maybe you left in your locker. Why don't you ask Mrs. Sommers if you can go get it? I'm sure she'll let you," replied Emily, as she watched her best friend trying to fight back tears. _

_Casey shook her head. "No! I know it's in here! I put it in my bag this morning and I haven't taken it out since then," she cried, closing her folder when she didn't find it in there. "Where in the he…" Her face set as she realized where her paper was. "Derek," she said through gritted teeth._

_Emily furrowed her eyebrows. "Derek? What's he got to do with this? You don't thi—Oh!" she finished, comprehension dawning on her face. "Well, he's not here right now," she stated, hoping she could get her friend to calm down before she went and actually murdered her crush. _

"_That's it! First he beat me to the bathroom and took long on _purpose_ and now he steals my homework? Ugh! I've had it!" yelled Casey as she stood up. "I have fifteen minutes before the bell rings. Derek is so going to get it," she muttered before stomping out of the classroom. _

_Casey walked down the hall and headed straight for Derek's locker where she knew he still was. Her hands shook with anger. It was normal for Derek to humiliate her and fight with her, but stealing her homework? How low can he go? _

_She stopped when she saw him standing by his locker with a redheaded bimbo smiling seductively at him. "That pig!" she hissed before walking over to him. She pushed him against the locker and glared at him. "Where's my paper?" she growled._

_Derek glared back at her, but mostly because she had pushed him in front of the girl he was flirting with. "What are you talking about, Klutzilla?" he snapped pushing her of him. "Can't you see I'm busy? Now go away." He turned away from Casey and continued to talk to the redhead. _

_Casey narrowed her eyebrows and turned him around to face her. "Don't act like you don't know, Derek! You took my English paper! Now give it back!" she yelled, her face slowly turning pink. _

_Derek smirked. "Oh, so that's what you were talking about!" He sighed. "Well, I don't have it." He turned away from her and began to walk away. _

_Casey growled in anger. "Der-rek! Give me my paper back!" She wheeled him around to face her again. "The freaking bell's going to ring any second and I have to present that paper!" She glared at him and waited for him to talk. _

"_Um…don't care!" replied Derek, rolling his eyes and turning around. "Now, let me go to my class. I'm pretty sure the bell is about to ring." Sure enough, the bell rang, signaling for the start of class. _

_Casey's eyes widened. "Oh my god! Derek this is all your fault! How am I supposed to give my presentation now? Ugh! Wait until I tell George about this. You're going to be a pathetic dateless excuse of a man!" She turned on her heel and began to walk down the hall, cursing Derek under her breath. _

End of Flashback

Nora walked into the kitchen stifling a yawn. "Morning Casey," she said, smiling at her daughter. "Is Derek up yet?" She looked over at the swinging door, thinking she might see him come in.

Casey rolled her eyes. "Oh he's up all right. He's taking a 'shower' for the fifth day in a row," she said, scowling at her empty glass. "That's got to be a record. Derek never takes a shower daily."

Nora sighed. "I'm guessing he won you to the bathroom this morning," she said, getting a cup from the cabinets and serving herself some coffee. She looked up at Casey and sighed. "You didn't do your hair again. I'll take that as a yes."

Casey sighed and shook her head. "He's doing this on purpose. He's just trying to make me go insane by the end of the week. Well, I'm not," she said defiantly.

"You're not what?"

Casey's eyes narrowed at the sound of the voice. She looked up and glared at Derek. "About time you finished. Now thanks to you, I'm going to go to school with greasy hair, _again_," she said angrily.

Derek smirked. "Like I said. It's not my fault you're not fast enough to beat me. You run like a girl," he stated, walking over to the stool across from Casey. "I like your hair by the way." He stifled a snicker and grabbed a banana from the fruit rack in the middle of the island counter.

Casey felt the urge to shove the banana up his nose. How can he be so infuriating? He got her all fired up about the stupidest things. Well, her hair was not a 'stupid thing', but still. Just by looking at him made Casey's blood boil with anger.

Nora shook her head disapprovingly at Derek. "You should really start respecting your sister, Derek. She needs to shower too, you know," she said, sipping on her coffee. "It wouldn't hurt for you to let her take the bathroom first in the morning."

Derek stared at Nora as though she had sprouted an antler on her head. "Um, yeah it would hurt! I need to shower as much as she does." He took a bite of his banana and glared at Casey. "And she's my _step_-sister," he mumbled.

Casey rolled her eyes and slid off the stool. "I better get going. Emily and I are going to go over some of the study questions for today's test," she said, rinsing her glass and setting it in the sink. She turned to look at Derek. "You _did_ study for the English test, did you?"

Derek didn't answer. He was staring at his banana as he munched on the piece in his mouth. Of course he didn't study. What would people think if he actually passed a test? They would think him as another Casey. He couldn't have that.

Nora looked over at Derek as well. "Derek? Did you study for the test today?" she asked, eyeing him warningly.

"Nope," answered Derek casually. He bit the last part of the banana and stood up from the stool. "That would make me look like I actually _did_ study for some stupid test." He walked out of the kitchen, leaving Nora and Casey with their mouths open in disbelief.

Casey shook her head and followed Derek into the living room. "That test is a third of our grade. Doesn't that affect you in any way?" she asked, still not believing that Derek didn't study for a test, even after he almost flunked a grade for failing.

"Why should it affect me? It's just a stupid test," said Derek, growing irritated knowing that Casey was already on his grill at six in the morning. "Besides, it's English. The stupid test is bound to be easy."

Casey snorted. "Right. Just like the last 'easy' test you took and got a forty nine percent. Yes. It's bound to be easy," she said, walking over to the coat rack and grabbing her coat. "You know, I thought you'd actually study after _I_ helped you get a good grade so you wouldn't flunk. It's nice to know how good it affected you." With one last disapproving look at Derek, she walked out of the front door with her schoolbag.

"That test wasn't so hard, was it?" asked Casey, a smile on her lips. "I knew it was going to be easy. Well, except for question twenty. I didn't know wh…"

"Casey! It's bad enough that we had to _take_ the test. Talking about it is just making it harder," interrupted Emily, looking at her friend with irritation. "Can we _please_ talk about something else?"

They were on their way to lunch, and when their test was done only a couple of minutes ago, it was a sensitive topic to talk about, for Emily. They both took a seat on one of the benches and began to chat.

"So, how are you and Sam doing? Are you guys still friends?" asked Emily as she took a bite of her apple. Sam and Casey had broken up two months ago and it had really affected Casey.

Casey shrugged. "We're good. We're still friends. I mean, we broke up because we thought we'd be better off being friends. He didn't cheat on me or anything," she said, smiling slightly.

Emily smiled. "Well that's good. So, how's Derek? Has be brought any 'girls' home?" she asked, bitterness clearly shown in her voice.

Casey's face set. "Oh you mean the four he took separately yesterday? I didn't even realize he was home until I accidentally sat on top of them on the couch," she said disgustedly.

Emily scoffed. "Well that's typical Derek," she said, rolling her eyes. Her eyes widened, however, when she saw Derek enter the cafeteria with Sam. "But he's so hot,' she squealed, her eyes glowing.

Casey stared at her friend with disgust. "Ew, Em. I'm right here. Try not to fantasize about my step-brother when I'm within earshot." She shook her head and dug into her salad.

Emily let out a dreamy sigh. "You have no idea how lucky you are, Case. You live under the same roof with the hottest guy in the school. A lot of girls envy you for that you know." Her eyes lit up. "Sam's coming over here, and Derek's following him."

Casey choked on her food and desperately opened her water bottle. She took a sip and slowly looked up. "Hey Sam," she said nervously.

Sam smiled. "Hey. Mind if we join you too?" he asked, taking a seat next to her.

Emily shook her head. "No! We don't mind. Not at all. Right, Casey?" she asked, looking at her friend. "_Right, Casey_?" she repeated when Casey didn't answer.

Casey nodded her head and watched as Derek, who had a sour expression on his face, take a seat next to Emily. "Whatever," she muttered, eyeing Derek icily.

Sam and Emily exchanged looks and began to eat.

Derek rolled his eyes and stabbed his food with his fork. "I'm risking my reputation by just sitting down with Grade-Grubber here," he muttered, looking up at Casey. "Seriously though. I _love_ your hair," he added, accidentally flicking his fork at her, causing some of the spaghetti sauce to hit her in the face.

Casey gasped and stared at Derek with hatred. "You jerk!" she snapped, getting a napkin and wiping her face. "You're doing this on purpose! I know it!" She stood up. "I'll be in the library until the bell rings. I can't stand being in the same room with this insect," she spat, turning around and walking out of the cafeteria.

Derek made a face. "Yeah, well same here, Princess," he replied, staring at Casey's back. He turned to Sam. "So, you coming to my house tonight? The hockey game is going to be on. I'm taping it," he said, grinning.

Sam chuckled. "Sure, man. What about you?" he asked, turning to Emily. "You and Casey have any plans for tonight?" He ignored the groan coming from Derek. "Because if you don't have anything planned, we can hang out. As a group," he added when Emily looked at him weirdly.

She shrugged. "I guess. We don't have any plans for tonight but I have to talk to Casey," she said, looking at Derek. "Their 'special' bond."

Derek scowled.

Casey hurried home, hoping to get there before Derek. School had been a complete nightmare…again. Of course, her pathetic excuse of a stepbrother had made her school life a living hell since the day she stepped foot inside it.

"Hey, Liz," she said, smiling at her sister. "Is Derek home yet?" She looked around the room as though expecting him to pop out of thin air.

Lizzie, who was watching television, shook her head. "Nope. He called saying he was going to have hockey practice." She looked up at her sister. "Why do you ask?"

Casey grinned and began ascending the stairs. "Oh, just asking," she said, her grin growing wider. "Get ready for the biggest prank of a lifetime, Derek Venturi." She let out a small evil laugh and walked into her room.

Her grin never faded as she thought up a plan to prank Derek. She had to make sure it was good enough for all the times Derek had punked her. Her grin, however, faded when she realized that she wasn't good enough making a masterful prank.

Casey sighed with defeat and flopped on her bed. Living with someone as insufferable as Derek was just impossible. She would never live a normal life without be taunted, humiliated, or physically hurt (not that Derek ever purposely hurt her, but still).

Her eyes dropped and soon she was in a deep sleep, forgetting about her plan to get revenge on Derek.

Casey opened her eyes and sighed. She looked up at her alarm clock and her heart dropped a little. It was 4:00 p.m., which meant that Derek was probably home already. She sighed and slowly got out of bed.

She stepped into the hallway and listened. There was no noise. The whole was dead silent. Not even Marti's playful giggles or screams could be heard. Her eyebrows furrowed as she began to walk down the hallway, her ears straining to hear something. Anything.

Casey descended the stairs, a bit confused as to why there was no one home. "Mom? George? Is anyone home?" she called out, hoping to get an answer. Her heart began to hammer as she reached the bottom of the stairs. _How come no one woke me up?_ she thought to herself.

Casey bit her bottom lip and walked over to the empty living room. There was absolute silence. She took a sat down on the couch and waited.

The sun was beginning to set over the mountains, giving the sky to look like a swirl of orange and pink yogurt. The wind was blowing softly through the trees and birds could be seen flying through them, going to their nests for the night.

Casey's eyes began to droop again, as the living room grew dark. She didn't even bother to turn on the television or the radio. She wanted to be able to know when her family would come home.

A loud thud upstairs made Casey's eyes snap open. Her pupils dilated as the thudding continued. She turned her gaze to the bottom of the stairs and waited to see if anyone or anything would come down.

The thudding continued, but this time, it sounded louder. It was like someone was walking upstairs with heavy rain boots.

Casey furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. Something was definitely going on upstairs and she thought she knew who it was. Either someone was trying to break in her house or Derek was upstairs doing god-knows-what in his room upstairs.

A loud moan echoed through the house and caused Casey to jump up from the sofa. She made her way to the kitchen, looking quite disgusted. She couldn't believe that Derek had brought a girl into the house. How low can he get? Though she was quite afraid, seeing as how Derek didn't respond when she had called out.

Another moan rang through the house, making the hairs at the back of Casey's neck stand on end.

"What the hell is that?" she muttered, her voice shaking slightly.

She stood up from the stool and began to make her way towards the living room, all the while keeping herself close to the wall in case it was a thief.

The thudding continued though it sounded farther than it had a few minutes ago. Casey's heart throbbed painfully against her chest. _Oh I should have stayed awake, _she thought miserably to herself. _What if I tried to open the door but it wouldn't budge? Oh stop that, Casey. You're being stupid. There is no burglar in your house. It's just your mind playing games with you. It wants you to go to Emily's house right now. But what if I can't go? Then don't complain. You should have stayed awake and not have fallen asleep like a baby._

Casey shook out of the small argument she was having with herself and looked up at the top of the stairs. The thudding continued and now it sounded like it was moving around in the hallway above.

"H-Hello? Is a-anyone up there?" said Casey, her voice shaking with fear. The thudding stopped. The house was silent. Casey whimpered and looked wildly around her.

She looked back up at the stairs and took a deep breath. She was going upstairs to investigate. Something was definitely moving up there and she was determined to know what it was.

"Oh my god," whispered Casey to herself as she took hold of the railing and began to climb the stairs. "Oh my god. Oh my g…"

The door burst open and Casey let out a shrill scream. She whipped around and sighed with relief as Derek stared at her with confusion.

"What the hell's the matter with you? It's just me," he said, dropping his hockey bag on the floor and heading upstairs, making sure to wipe some of his sweat on Casey's cheek.

Casey didn't even bother to wipe the smelly substance away as she made her way back into the living room, her mouth still slightly opened. Her heart was still hammering against her chest as she took a seat on the couch.

If Derek had just gotten home…then who had made that noise? Casey was dead sure that she had heard something. The whole house was quiet for crying out loud! Casey would never hallucinate things. Hell, she never saw something that wasn't supposed to be there. So what was it that she had heard only a few minutes ago?

Casey sat on the couch, lost in thought. She didn't even notice Derek sit down on his chair half an hour later. Her eyebrows were furrowed and her hand was still on her chest, just over her heart.

Derek, slightly bored, looked over at Casey. "Why are you so quiet?" he asked, raising an eyebrow. "Where's everyone?" he asked again when she didn't respond. His eyebrows furrowed as he leaned forward in his recliner. "Casey?"

He grabbed a cushion and threw it at Casey, thinking he'd get a reaction from her. He didn't. He stared at her weirdly and stood up from his chair. "Heelloo? Casey?" He waved a hand in front of her face, but no such luck. He shook her by the shoulders, finally getting her to look up at him.

"Ugh! What are you doing? Get your hands off of me!" yelled Casey disgustedly. She looked up at his chocolate brown eyes and rolled her eyes. "You can have the remote. It's on top of the TV.," she said, crossing her arms over her chest.

Derek eyed her weirdly and went over to get the remote. He sighed and smirked slightly. "You're acting a bit strange, Case. Could it be that you've finally cracked? It wouldn't be a surprise to me. I've always known you'd end up being in a demented girl."

Casey scoffed and through the pillow at him. "Demented? I wouldn't be talking if I were you. I'm not the one demented enough to bring stupid bimbos up in my room and then have them come down the side of the house so no one would notice." She eyed him icily before looking at the TV, which was still off.

Derek burst out laughing. "Bimbos up in my room? What kind of man do you think I am, Casey? I may like girls, but I'm not desperate," he said, after regaining himself. "I wouldn't find it surprising if you had 'nerds' up in your room. We all know how desperate you can get."

Casey opened her mouth in disbelief. "I am NOT desperate! You don't even know me!" she yelled, standing up and towering over Derek. "Just because I broke up with Sam does not mean I am willing to go out with the next guy that comes up to me. I'm not you."

Derek's face set. It was fine that she seemed delusional, but to yell at him like that? Well, he was not going to sit around and take it. He never did.

"It is not my fault that Sam decided to break up with you because you were too boring. Maybe you should start acting more 'teenage-like' and less 'grandma-like', but who am I to tell you what you did wrong? I'm not your fairy godmother. So, don't take it out all me because I don't care what happens in your life!" he said, his voice getting louder with every word.

Casey stepped back a little. "W-Who said I was upset about Sam breaking up with me? I'm not upset! Why do people always say I'm upset about that stupid break up?" she yelled, her blue eyes flashing dangerously.

"Because you always are?" said Derek, as if stating the obvious. He sighed and clicked the remote. "I'm tired of listening to your ranting. I'm going to watch something actually worth hearing to."

Casey growled in anger and stomped upstairs, completely forgetting about the noises she had heard a while ago.

Please review!!!!!!!! Tell me what you think!!!


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